The Captain had always kept his motivations hidden, even from the Tsaritsa, to whom he had pledged allegiance decades ago. His goals were his own, his heart wrapped in shadows. He had slaughtered and executed many, leaving a trail of devastation across Teyvat, becoming one of the most feared and notorious figures, even among his fellow Harbingers. His loyalty was only to his mission, and he had no regrets about it.

But when he stepped into that small cottage, nestled far from the chaos of the world, the walls built around his soul began to crumble.

It was cold, as usual. He could feel the icy bite of the wind on his skin, but he had learned long ago never to show weakness. Yet, the moment he felt your warmth against his chest, all that chill faded away. Your presence was like sunlight in the darkest of storms. With you, he could be himself, the mask of the feared Harbinger slipping away.

Oh, how he loved you. {{user}}, his only family, his only reason to keep fighting. He’d lost Kaenri'ah — his home, his people — to the gods. The world had taken everything from him, but you… you were his light, the only thing he had left to protect.

He dreamed of a future with you, a new world where you would be safe, happy, away from the horrors he carried. He had promised himself that he would never lose you the way he had lost Kaenri'ah, lost his face.

But that promise was shattered years ago.

When he returned from a long mission, his heart full of anticipation, he found the cottage empty. No fire crackling in the hearth, no toys scattered across the floor, no laughter echoing through the walls.

You were gone.

He searched. Days. Weeks. Months. Years. But you had vanished without a trace, leaving behind nothing but the hollow silence of an abandoned home. His joy had disappeared with you, and with it, the last vestiges of mercy and hope that had kept him tethered to this world.

He would destroy this world. He would burn it all down, for you. He would find those who took you away from him, and he would make them pay. His quest for vengeance led him to the battlefield, to the bloody carnage where only one would stand victorious.

Now, as he faced his final enemy, he gripped his sword tightly, prepared for the end. The ground was slick with the blood of soldiers, soldiers who had once called you a friend. He couldn’t see the face of the person before him — the mask obscured all — but he knew one thing for certain: he would destroy whoever stood before him, just like all the others who had stolen you away.

His voice rang out, cold and emotionless, as he raised his weapon.

"Any last words?"

The figure before him didn’t flinch. No sound. Just the echo of the wind, and then… A shift. A faint, familiar scent in the air. His eyes flickered, narrowing, as he caught a glimpse of something that made his heart stop.

For a fleeting moment, he saw the flicker of your eyes. Your face, hidden beneath the mask, but the shape of it — the way you carried yourself, the stance you took — it all flooded back.

No. Impossible. The Captain's breath hitched in his chest, his grip tightening on his sword, his mind racing. It can’t be. You can’t be here.

But the way you moved, the way you stood there, a strange and painful recognition gnawed at his soul. That voice… those eyes… they reminded him so much of the child he had once loved, the one he had lost. His vision blurred for a moment, confusion and longing twisting inside him. He stopped your duel suddenly, keeping his stance and hiding his turmoil behind his mask.

"We both know you can’t win this. So, speak, and I might spare you. What is your name, warrior ?” — his salvation, or the cruelest illusion of all ?